Chapter Ten
KINGDOM CONCEPT #7
UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF CITIZENSHIP
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| Isaiah 9:6-7 |
When it comes to matters of citizenship, the Kingdom of God is no different from any other country. Remember, the Kingdom of God is not a religion. It is a government with a country. Heaven is that country, and Jesus Christ is its King. Referring to Christ, the ancient Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote: For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders….Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever… (Isaiah 9:6-7, emphasis added).
Why then, someone might ask, do we not see people clamoring to get into the churches? Why does the church as a whole seem to have so little impact on our culture? The reason is simple—and sad. Most pastors don’t understand the Kingdom, so they don’t preach it or teach it. Consequently, most of the people in the churches don’t understand the Kingdom either, so they don’t model Kingdom living. My experience has been that once people know about the Kingdom and see it modeled, they want it! Such is the power of the lure of citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven.
BECOMING A KINGDOM CITIZEN
We emigrated from a foreign country—a “dominion of darkness” (see Col. 1:13)— where we as a race had been “exiled” ever since Adam’s rebellion in the garden of Eden. At that time, the human race lost citizenship in heaven. We lost our citizenship because we lost our Kingdom, and we lost our Kingdom because we lost our property—our territory. Don’t forget that without territory, there is no kingdom; and without a kingdom, there can be no kingdom citizenship.
We enter the Kingdom of heaven through the process that Jesus called being “born again” (see John 3:3)—changing our mind and turning from our rebellion against God, placing our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our rebellion, and acknowledging Him as Lord (Owner) of our lives. This “new birth” gets us into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Many believers call this “being saved,” but I think it is more helpful here to think of the new birth as the “naturalization” process by which we become Kingdom citizens. The new birth makes us naturalized citizens of the Kingdom. It also “naturalizes” us in the sense that it returns us to our original “natural” state of authority and dominion over the earth as God intended from the start. When we become citizens of God’s Kingdom, it means that we voluntarily align ourselves with a new government and a new country, embracing its language, its ideals, and its values. The Kingdom constitution is explicit regarding our citizenship: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19, emphasis added). But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body (Philippians 3:20, emphasis added). Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves (Colossians 1:12-13, emphasis added).
Why is this so important? Here’s why: Religion postpones citizenship to the future. Religious leaders tell their people, “You will be a citizen…someday. You will be in the Kingdom…you will have joy later…you will be a full citizen. But not today. Not yet. The Kingdom has not yet come.” They are wrong. The Kingdom has come. Kingdom citizenship is never postponed. The Kingdom of God is present and functional on the earth right now. If you have been “born again,” then you have been naturalized and are a Kingdom citizen right now. And that means that all the rights, benefits, and privileges of Kingdom citizenship are yours right now.
You can never appropriate what you postpone. That’s what you call “locking up the Kingdom of God” to those who want to get in. It is for this reason that I am convinced that the greatest enemy of the Kingdom is religion.
In a very real sense, that’s what the church is (or what it is supposed to be): an embassy! The church is not a religious place. When Jesus established His ecclesia, He did not have a religious institution in mind. His purpose was to set up an embassy of His Kingdom—a place where Kingdom citizens (new and old) could receive aid, be trained in the ways, laws, language, and customs of the Kingdom, and be equipped with the Kingdom resources they need for effective life in the Kingdom colony on earth.
All Kingdom citizens are simultaneously citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven as well as citizens of the earthly nation of their birth or their naturalization. We don’t give up our earthly citizenship when we become citizens of the Kingdom. The Kingdom constitution says that we are in the world but not of the world. When we are born again, our names are written in Heaven’s “official registry” as valid confirmation that we are now citizens of Heaven, even though we still live in the colony. So even though we are physically away from the Kingdom “country,” we are still citizens of the Kingdom.
My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is from another place (John 18:36).
INVISIBLE CITIZENSHIP
Someone may ask, “If the Kingdom of heaven is here now, why can’t we see it? Why isn’t there more evidence of it all around us?” The answer is very simple: We cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven because it is invisible. And so are its citizens. In fact, all colonial governments and citizens are invisible
In the same way, the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is invisible does not mean that it has no impact. Jesus taught this truth about the Kingdom more than once. On one occasion He illustrated it this way: What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough (Luke 13:20-21). That’s how yeast works—slowly but inexorably until all the dough feels its influence. Once mixed with the dough, the yeast is invisible, but if you think that means no impact, just try baking bread without it! People have been debating the nature and timing of the coming of the Kingdom of heaven for centuries. It was no different in Jesus’ day. One day He spoke of the invisibility of the Kingdom in response to a question from some of the religious leaders: Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
In other words, they should recognize us by our distinct culture. Culture is a product of the language, ideals, and values of a people or a nation. Even though people cannot recognize us as Kingdom citizens by our outward appearance, our distinctive language, ideals, and values should give us away. Our culture should reflect and reveal our citizenship as being here but not from here, as being in the world but not of the world.
Chapter Eleven
KINGDOM CONCEPT #8
UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF CULTURE
As we have already seen, for example, every country has land— territory. Without land there is no country. Historically, the land a people inhabits significantly influences the culture they develop. Desert dwellers, for instance, are unlikely to develop a maritime culture unless they live along the coast. Their culture will reflect the arid environment in which they live. A second key component of every country is language. A country is not a country unless it has one major language. Many nations of the world have numerous sublanguages and dialects. But every nation always decides on one major language because language identifies you as a country. Language is the key to unity. It is also a key factor in a nation’s culture. Again, as we saw earlier, all countries have laws. Every nation draws up a body of laws that everyone must obey to ensure peace, order, and security for the citizens. Without law there is no country because the absence of law leads to chaos, and you can’t run a country or maintain a stable government on chaos. The laws of a nation reflect the culture of that nation and vice versa. Culture and law each affect the other. Every nation also utilizes specific and unique symbols to represent it and to help inspire unity, patriotism, loyalty, pride of nation, and a strong sense of national identity. The most familiar symbol of any nation is, of course, its flag. A nation’s flag symbolizes its history, the sacrifices, suffering, and triumphs of its people, and what the people have constituted themselves to be. All of these things relate also to culture. Few national symbols are more powerful than the flag. Another element that all nations share in common is a constitution. As we saw in Chapter Six, a constitution is a contract between the people and their government. In many ways a constitution is a cultural document because it contains in codified form the laws, ideals, and values of the people (or of the king, depending on who wrote it). Furthermore, all nations have a moral code. A nation’s moral code embodies the moral standards under which the people have agreed to live and by which they have chosen to govern themselves. In most cases, a moral code consists of both written and unwritten standards. The written standards are expressed through laws and statutes while the unwritten standards are transmitted primarily through traditions, customs, and culture. Respect other people’s property; do not bear false witness in court; do not steal; do not murder; do not commit adultery—all of these are part of the moral code in virtually every nation and government on earth. A seventh common characteristic of all countries is shared values. In order to have a country that runs effectively, the people must share the same values in common. The people as a whole must agree that they all value the same thing, such as life or peace or freedom. Every nation also develops its own customs. Customs derive from a nation’s shared values. A custom is a customary way of doing something, a behavioral pattern that is not only commonly accepted but also expected. Overall, customs generally are consistent throughout a nation, although there are many regional variations. Quite often a nation’s customs are so distinctive that they become a point of identification for that nation, such as certain traditional manners of dress or kinds of foods. Finally, there are social norms. These are similar to customs but have greater force and authority within society. Social norms are standards of speech, thought, and behavior that are accepted by the wide majority of the people as right and proper. Violate a custom and you may be thought eccentric; violate a social norm and you risk being ostracized.
All of these together—land, language, laws, symbols, constitution, moral code, shared values, customs, and social norms—comprise what we call culture.
WHAT IS CULTURE?
So what is culture specifically?
First of all, culture is the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties by education, expert care, and training. In other words, culture is the developing of a people’s intellectual capacities and moral awareness through a combination of formal instruction and informal modeling. Parents and society teach children the elements of the culture, and as the children learn and internalize those cultural elements, they begin to live them.
Secondly, culture is the enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training. Simply stated, we all come to think like the environment we grow up in. Our intellectual interaction with our environment literally produces a way of thinking in us that becomes our way of life, and so we become trained in our culture. None of us are born with a culture. We are born into a culture, but we are not born with a culture
Culture may also be defined as the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. From a sociological perspective, culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. In the business world, culture defines the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize a company or corporation. As for a scientific definition, culture means to grow in a prepared medium. That’s a powerful image. Each of us arrived on earth in a prepared medium—the country and culture of our birth. Immediately we began to grow in that medium, shaped and influenced by the customs, values, moral code, and social norms of our parents, community, and society. We learned the language and the laws. This growth medium is also where we learned our prejudices and our hatreds, our jealousy and our greed and our pride.
As for a scientific definition, culture means to grow in a prepared medium. That’s a powerful image. Each of us arrived on earth in a prepared medium—the country and culture of our birth. Immediately we began to grow in that medium, shaped and influenced by the customs, values, moral code, and social norms of our parents, community, and society. We learned the language and the laws. This growth medium is also where we learned our prejudices and our hatreds, our jealousy and our greed and our pride. Then one day we discovered the Kingdom of Heaven. We were born again and became citizens of God’s Kingdom. And that’s where the challenge really began. After spending 20, 30 or 40 years in a certain medium that trained us to think a certain way, we suddenly find ourselves in a whole new culture—a new growth medium—with a whole lot of new things to learn and a whole lot of old things to unlearn. And therein lies the problem: How do we get rid of the old culture in our hearts and minds to live in the new one? That’s the universal challenge for every dual citizenship believer.
The Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (see Prov. 23:7 KJV). This means that the way we think determines who we become. In this context, the heart is the mind. And the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of the heart. Therefore, the King of Heaven is battling for the minds of the creatures He created in His own image.
MANIFESTATIONS OF CULTURE
Culture manifests itself in a number of ways.
1. Values.
Shared values are a defining characteristic of a culture and a nation. What we value reveals who we are. Our values reflect our character. Basically, a value is a belief or conviction that is considered worthy in and of itself by a person or group. It is a standard or ideal that regulates conduct or policy. Values also relate to one’s personal philosophy. Our values define our attitudes, behavior, and view of the world. If we want to learn how to live in the culture of the Kingdom, we must learn the values of the Kingdom. Jesus the King articulated His value system at the very beginning of His public ministry:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3-10).
This particular portion of Jesus’ teaching is commonly known as the “Beatitudes,” or “blessed sayings,” from the Latin word beatus (blessed). We could even call them the “Be-attitudes” because they describe the way Kingdom citizens should “be” in character, attitude, and behavior. Values are extremely powerful and form the foundation for behavior. They guide the people of a nation in identifying what behavior is acceptable or unacceptable. Whether explicitly stated or unspoken yet recognized, values form the foundation of nations and profoundly shape the lives and daily experiences of their citizens. Society depends on certain values in order to function, such as cooperation and honesty. Businesses also depend for their function on such values as integrity, honor, fairness, and kindness.
2. Priorities.
Culture manifests itself in the things we regard as most important. In other words, whatever we prioritize in life reveals our culture. If we prioritize the sanctity of marriage, our culture will reflect it with laws, customs, and social norms that strongly discourage and even penalize divorce, adultery, and other “marriage busters.” Prioritizing the sanctity of human life will produce a culture that protects the elderly and the unborn and refuses to sanction the harvesting of human embryos for stem cell research. Jesus got right to the heart of priorities when He said: So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:31-33).
3. Behaviors.
The way we behave reveals our culture; it’s that simple.
4. Standards.
The standards we apply in everyday life reveal whether we have a culture that indulges and encourages mediocrity or a culture that inspires excellence. Do we take pride in the appearance of our houses and churches and businesses and cities and streets? Do we place a high premium on quality in all things? Or are we satisfied with just enough to get by? Either way, our standards reflect our culture. In fact, our culture will never rise higher than our standards.
5. Celebration.
Our culture is revealed in the things we celebrate as well as in the manner that we celebrate. Are holidays and other celebrations opportunities for fun and laughter and togetherness as families, or excuses for drunkenness and other kinds of excess? As Kingdom citizens, we need to take our cue from our King because His attitudes and responses reveal Heaven’s culture. Whatever makes Jesus angry should make us angry and whatever makes Him happy should make us happy. Whatever fills Him with joy should make us joyful also and whatever brings Him sorrow should grieve our spirits as well.
6. Morality.
The level of our moral conscience and consciousness reveals the level of our culture. Do we shrug our shoulders at adultery and other forms of infidelity? Do we turn a blind eye to pedophilia and other kinds of sexual abuse? Are we willing to “normalize” perversion in our society? Or are we committed to standing for, supporting, and promoting the highest standards of moral purity in every area?
7. Relationships.
Who do we relate to? How do we relate to them? How do we treat people? How do we handle the destitute, those who are hurting, and those who are abused? What is our attitude toward the poor? There’s a culture in Heaven that is revealed when poverty is around. When people are hungry, the culture of Heaven feeds them. When they are thirsty, the culture of Heaven says, “I’ve got something for you to drink.” Our culture is revealed in how well we take care of each other.
8. Ethics.
Is honesty our best policy, or is honesty our only policy? If someone overpays us, do we keep the money or do we take it back? Kingdom ethics is always proactive. Jesus said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). This “rule” applies to every area of life. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22). In response to Peter’s question, Jesus pulled a number out of His hat to make His point. “Seventy-seven times” is not a literal figure; it is seven times extended indefinitely. In other words, in Kingdom culture, forgiveness is ongoing. We forgive as often as necessary, just as we would hope to be forgiven as often as necessary. Again, we take our cue from our King—as He has forgiven us, and keeps on forgiving us, so are we to do with others.
9. Social norms.
Whatever is regarded as normal in our society reveals our culture. Is shacking up “normal”? Are out-of-wedlock pregnancies and births “normal”? Is cheating on taxes “normal”? Is corruption in government “normal”? Are honesty, integrity, and fidelity both at home and in the workplace “normal”? Is sexual purity “normal”? What are the “norms” of the Kingdom of Heaven? Here are a few that Kingdom Ambassador Paul called “the fruit of the Spirit”: …love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
10. Dress.
Culture also manifests itself in the way the people dress. How we dress speaks volumes about our values and ideals as well as how we feel about ourselves. All of these relate to culture. Of course, since Kingdom citizenship and Kingdom citizens are invisible, there is no such thing as a Kingdom “uniform” or prescribed manner of dress. But there is such a thing as a certain demeanor that Kingdom citizens are to carry themselves with that identifies them as children of the King. Simon Peter’s instructions to female citizens of the Kingdom applies equally in principle to every citizen: Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight (1 Peter 3:3-4).
11. Foods.
Food has always been a cultural distinctive. Certain dishes, certain ingredients, and certain seasonings are associated with certain regions of the world or certain regions within nations. Curry is a distinctive of Indian cooking. Beans and rice are staples in Mexico. Hot dogs are undeniably American. In the Bahamas, it’s peas and rice, conch chowder, and guava duff. As Kingdom citizens on earth we need food to strengthen and nourish our bodies, but we also need heavenly food to nourish our spirits. Jesus said: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4b). At another time, He told His inner circle of followers: My food…is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work (John 4:34).
12. Permits.
We reveal our culture by what we permit. Remember, what we bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what we loose on earth is loosed in heaven. If we “loose” lewdness and immorality, those things will characterize our culture. If we “loose” corruption and dishonesty, we will have a corrupt and dishonest culture. On the other hand, if we “loose” love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and the like, our culture will reflect these traits. As Kingdom citizens, we have the authority to bind and loose for the social, moral, and spiritual good of our fellowmen. This is why it is important for us to be involved in and to engage the popular culture and challenge it with the culture of Heaven.
13. Acceptance.
Our culture is defined also by what we accept. More and more people who claim to be believers and even Kingdom citizens are buying into the popular culture to such a degree that by their language and lifestyle it is impossible to tell which Kingdom they belong to—the kingdom of the world or the Kingdom of heaven. The more often we hear about new cultural, social, or moral ideas, the more accepting we become until eventually it’s not new to us anymore. We have accepted it, and now it has become a cultural norm. That’s why we need to be always alert and ever careful to evaluate all the new ideas and philosophies that come down the line. Some of them may be fine. But many, perhaps most, will be contrary to the culture and values and ideals of the Kingdom of Heaven. When this is the case, as Kingdom citizens we have the duty and responsibility to refuse to accept them.
14. Rejections.
On the other hand, our culture manifests also in what we reject. Modern popular culture has reached the point where it rejects almost nothing. An attitude of “anything goes” prevails in many circles. Political correctness rules the day with its calculated and deliberate determination to be nice to everybody, avoid hurting anyone’s feelings, and refusing to take a stand by judging anything as evil, immoral, or improper. Today’s culture rejects the very idea of absolute standards; everything is relative. Kingdom culture, on the other hand, rejects relativism in favor of the absolute standard of the unchanging Word of God. If some things are right, then other things are wrong and must be rejected. Jesus said it this way: He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters (Matthew 12:30). We can’t have it both ways. We can’t play both ends against the middle. There is right and there is wrong, and Kingdom citizens must reject the wrong and embrace the right.
15. Distinctions.
Culture manifests also in our distinctions. What distinguishes us from other cultures? What makes the Kingdom culture distinctive from the culture of the world? I’m not talking about outward things like clothing or hairstyle as much as inner qualities of character, values, and norms. Paul said: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).
16. Quality standards. And finally, culture manifests in our standards of quality. God never does anything halfway, and neither should His children. In everything we do, Kingdom citizens should always be on the cutting edge of excellence, leading the way for everyone else rather than following in the world’s wake. In Kingdom life we don’t have to be perfect in what we do because we are imperfect people, but that is no excuse to accept shabby work, half-finished projects, or a just-enough-to-get-by attitude. Our King demands our best. And He deserves nothing less. For this very reason, it should be our joy to give our very best to the King…and to give it freely and willingly.
Chapter Twelve KINGDOM CONCEPT #9 UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM CONCEPT OF GIVING TO THE KING
As we have seen throughout this book, God is the King of a supernatural realm called Heaven that is invisible but very real. In fact, Heaven is more real than the natural realm in which we humans live, breathe, and have our being because it existed before the natural realm and is the source from which all nature originated.
His original purpose and plan was to extend His heavenly Kingdom to the earth—to bring His invisible supernatural rule into the visible natural domain. It was for this reason that He created mankind—male and female—in His own image and clothed them in physical bodies of flesh and blood and bone made from the same stuff as the earth itself, that they might exercise dominion over the earth just as He did in Heaven. They were to be His vice-regents, ruling in His name and under His authority.
King and kingdom are concepts that are of heavenly, not earthly origin. God chose these concepts to describe His plan and program for mankind and the earth. Thus, in order to understand God, we must understand the concept of kingship and kingdom. That has been the purpose and intent of this book.
Adam was created as king and ruler of the earth. This is only natural. God created man in His own image and likeness, and because God was a King, man was to be a king as well. As king of the earth, man possessed certain unique qualities and characteristics that set him apart as distinct from all other creatures on the earth. One of these qualities was self-determination. Man possessed the ability to reason—to frame his own thoughts and ideas and to make his own decisions. In this he was like his Creator. He was endowed also with the capacity for face-to-face, one-on-one intimate fellowship with God, a privilege that no other creature on earth enjoyed. The Creator gave Adam the earth as his domain because a king is not a king unless he has territory over which to rule. Through inappropriate use of his power of self-determination, Adam rebelled against God and lost his earthly kingdom. Man’s rule over the earth was usurped by an “unemployed cherub,” a rebellious and fallen angel who had no right or authority to take it. Man became a slave in his own domain. But the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (see Rom. 11:29). God’s original plan and purpose were still in place. Man’s destiny was to rule the earth, so he had to get his Kingdom back. When the time was right in history, the King of Heaven sent His Son to earth to reestablish Heaven’s rule here. He sent His Son to restore man to his earthly Kingdom. Jesus Christ entered the public eye proclaiming a simple but profound message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17b). As a human as well as the Son of God, Jesus had the authority both to restore the Kingdom and to rule it as King. Kingship was His birthright.
Kingship is always a matter of birthright or genealogy. You will remember that when Jesus stood before Pilate the morning He was crucified, and Pilate asked Him if He was the king of the Jews, Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born…” (John 18:37b).
Jesus was not the only one to recognize His kingship. Even as early as His birth, there were those who knew who He was and why He had come: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:1-2).
The coming of Jesus Christ as King demonstrates another important characteristic of God: He is a giver. First, He gave man the earth to rule. Then, after man lost his Kingdom, God gave His Son so that He could get man’s Kingdom back. Jesus gave Himself, even to the point of death, to salvage man from the effects and consequences of his rebellion against God. In the coming of Jesus, and throughout the Bible we see over and over that giving is a fundamental principle of the Kingdom of Heaven. God is a giver. In fact, His honor as King of Heaven demands a gift. As God, He gives because it is His nature. As Kingdom citizens, we give because we are like Him, created in His image and likeness, and because giving is a proper way to honor a king.
THE SIX ROYAL KINGDOM PRINCIPLES OF GIVING
1. The power of kings is displayed in their wealth. The wealthier the king, the greater his power (or at least the perception of his power in the eyes of others). This is why kings are always seeking to increase their wealth and expand their territory. The most obvious way that wealth displays a king’s power is in his ability to give generously, lavishly, and even recklessly of his wealth to his citizens as well as to outsiders who visit his kingdom. Kings who rule over lands that are sparse in resources and whose citizens are poor are judged to be poor kings, lacking in power and influence and therefore dismissed as unimportant. They may even be perceived as unable or unwilling to take proper care of their citizens and subjects. Poor kings, therefore, develop a poor reputation, which brings us to the second principle.
2. The purpose for a king’s wealth is to secure his reputation—his glory. Every conscientious king wants to be known as good, benevolent, magnanimous, and just. He is constantly concerned for the complete welfare of his people. He wants to be able to show the world that he can provide his citizens with anything and everything they need. Want in a kingdom is a shame to the king. So a king’s reputation is tied to his ability to take care of his citizens, and that ability is directly related to his wealth. A king whose people are secure in his benevolent provision will be loved by his people, respected by other kings and rulers, and will enjoy a stable and secure reign. His reputation is firmly established, and his glory shines to all around.
3. The glory of a king is his power to out-give another king. This is another reason why wealth is important to a king. Kings are deeply and continually concerned with their reputations, and no king likes the thought that another king might be richer, more benevolent, or more giving than he. Consequently, kings will give freely in response to a gift given to them, or from pure beneficence, often wildly out of proportion to the value of the gift received or the merit of the recipient. Kingdom Principles 206 This is definitely a characteristic of the King of Heaven. As owner of literally everything, God is the richest King that was, is, or ever will be. No one can out-give God. And He gives lavishly without regard to our merit or our ability to repay. Don’t forget that Jesus assured us that it was His Father’s pleasure to give us the Kingdom. And He did not demand that we make ourselves “worthy” first.
4. Giving places a demand on the king’s wealth. Wealth that is not used for anything serves no purpose. Righteous and benevolent kings do not seek riches simply for their own enrichment and pleasure. They don’t acquire wealth just so they can sit atop the pile and say, “Look at me! See how rich I am!” Good kings use their wealth to bring prosperity to their people and improve the quality of their lives. This way the king’s riches do not stagnate or rot away. In keeping with a fundamental principle of wealth-building, good kings know how to make their wealth work for them—they give it away in order to receive more. It is a principle of reciprocity—giving begets giving. The principle of reciprocity works both ways. Giving to a king places a demand on his wealth because a king cannot allow himself to be out-given. Whatever he receives as a gift he must return in multiplied form. This brings us to the fifth principle of giving.
5. Giving requires a response from the king. When you give to a king, he is obligated not only to respond to your gift but also to exceed it. When the queen of Sheba visited King Solomon of Israel, her gifts to him of spices, large quantities of gold and precious stones, was fitting protocol. However, she was not prepared for the magnitude of wealth she found in Solomon’s court: When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.…And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.…King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty (1 Kings 10:4-7,10,13a, emphasis added). As lavish as the queen’s gifts to Solomon were, his gifts to her in return far exceeded hers to him. The King of Heaven is the same way. When we give to Him, He responds in kind but in much greater measure. Jesus said: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38). We can never out-give God. Give, and He will give abundantly and overflowing in return. It’s a principle of His Kingdom. Besides, His reputation and glory are at stake.
6. Giving to a king attracts His wealth to the giver. Giving begets giving. This principle works both ways. Kings give away wealth in order to gain more wealth. But when we give to the King, it begets giving back to us because our generosity attracts the King’s wealth to us. This is directly related to the concept of stewardship versus ownership. As long as we feel we own what we have, we tend to cling to it and hold it close to our chest. In that posture, it is impossible to receive more. We can’t receive anything with closed fists and clenched fingers. On the other hand, when we approach the King open-handed with our things, not only can we lay them at His feet as a gift, but we are also in a posture to receive. Giving to the King attracts His wealth because He is a giver and is attracted to those who share a like spirit.
SEVEN REASONS TO GIVE TO A KING
1. Royal protocol requires that a gift must be presented when visiting a king. This is why the queen of Sheba brought such lavish gifts to King Solomon even though he was richer than she was. It was royal protocol. He would have done the same had he visited her. This protocol of presenting a gift to the king reflects a principle of heaven. When God gave Moses the Law for the nation of Israel, He made it clear that whenever the people came before the Lord, they were to bring an offering or a sacrifice of some kind, depending on the occasion. They were never to approach Him with nothing. God commanded Moses: And none shall appear before Me empty-handed (Exodus 34:21b NKJV). The principle still applies. We should always approach the King with a gift of some kind to offer: a tithe or 10 percent of our income, praise, thanksgiving, worship; just not empty-handed. The best gift we can give Him is our heart and life, freely and completely.
2. The gift must be fitting for the king. Worse than approaching a king with no gift is to bring a gift unworthy of him. An inappropriate or inadequate gift amounts to an insult to the king. It shows that the giver does not properly respect the king or his authority. This is why the sacrificial laws of the Jews (which prefigure the sacrifice of Christ, the perfect Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world [see John 1:29]). stipulated that only spotless, unblemished, unflawed animals could be offered in sacrifice. The people were giving a gift to the King, and their gift had to be worthy of Him. When King David of Israel set out to build an altar to the Lord, he sought to buy a threshing floor owned by a man named Araunah as the site. Araunah graciously offered to give the threshing floor to David for his purposes: But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them” (2 Samuel 24:24). David was trying to stop a plague in the land caused by his own disobedience to God. After he built the altar and made sacrifices, God responded to his prayers and stopped the plague. Give a gift to the King that is worthy of Him. Don’t offer something that costs you nothing.
3. The gift reveals our value or “worth-ship” of the king. The quality of what we offer the King and the attitude with which we offer it reveal much more than our words do of the value or worthiness we attach to Him. Quality doesn’t mean expensive or fancy necessarily, but it does mean offering our very best. And our gift does not necessarily have to be of monetary value. Of much greater value to the King is the gift of a heart that seeks first His Kingdom and His righteousness. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah records the Lord’s complaint against His people who devalue His “worth-ship”: The Lord says: “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men (Isaiah 29:13). Our gifts to the King should always be offered from a sincere heart and a humble recognition of His greatness and awesome majesty.
4. Worship demands a gift and giving is worship. “Worthship” is where we get “worship.” To worship the King means to ascribe worth or worthiness to Him. And, as we have already seen, that always involves bringing Him a gift. There is no genuine worship without gift-giving. But giving is itself an act of worship, and worship is always fitting for the King. The Magi who saw His star in the east understood this, which is why they brought gifts when they came to find Him: On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrhh (Matthew 2:11). Worship demands a gift, but it may be a gift of praise, a gift of thanksgiving, a gift of confession, a gift of surrender, a gift of forgiveness, or a gift of a tender and obedient heart as well as a monetary gift.
5. Giving to a king attracts his favor. Kings are attracted to people who give with a willing and grateful spirit. Like anyone else, a king likes to know he is loved and appreciated. The King of Heaven is the same way. The Giver is attracted to the giver and extends His favor. Gifts open doors to blessings, opportunities, and prosperity: A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great (Proverbs 18:16). Those who know the protocol of giving gain access to the throne room, while those who do not, remain standing outside the gate. Giving from a generous heart with no thought or expectation of return particularly attracts the King’s favor because that is the attitude closest to His own. And He rewards that kind of spirit: Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward (Matthew 10:41-42). To “receive” a prophet or a righteous man means to care for and supply that person with no expectation of repayment. Giving with no ulterior motive and with no strings attached—that is the kind of giving that attracts the favor of the King.
6. Giving to a king acknowledges his ownership of everything. Remember, kings are also lords; they own everything in their domain. So giving to a king is simply returning to him what is already his. That’s why in the Kingdom of Heaven we are always stewards and never owners. This truth is embodied in the Bible in the principles of the firstfruits and the tithe. Every harvest the Jews were required to bring the “firstfruits” of the harvest and offer them to the Lord. The same was to be done with all the firstborn of the animals: sheep, goats, cattle. In addition, a tithe—10 percent—of one’s increase, one’s income and produce, was to be given to the Lord. All of this was for the purpose of recognizing God’s ownership—His Lordship—of everything and His benevolence and love in allowing them to use and prosper from His resources. These same principles apply today, at least in the spirit of acknowledging God’s ownership. Kingdom citizens should still give the tithe regularly as an act of faith and of worship in recognizing not only God’s ownership but also His daily provision of our needs as well as abundant blessings.
7. Giving to a king is thanksgiving. One of the best ways to express gratitude is with a gift. Gratitude expressed is in itself a gift. Look at the word “thanksgiving.” Turn it around and you have, “giving thanks” or “giving gratitude.” Everyone likes to know they are appreciated. Sometimes the best gift we can give a person is simply to express heartfelt thanks for a gift given or a kindness received. God is the same way. Expressing our thanks to God from a sincere heart for His blessings, kindness, and favor toward us is to offer Him a gift that He receives with delight.
FIVE REASONS TO GIVE
Giving is natural for kings. As Kingdom citizens and children of the King, we too are kings. That being the case, several principles follow:
1. If we all are kings, then we should give to each other. Remember, you never approach a king without a gift.
2. When we give to the Body, we give to Christ the King. Because Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit, every time we give to each other, we are giving to Him.
3. Every time we meet one another, giving should be automatic. If we are to be like our King, who created us in His image and likeness, a giving spirit should be second nature for us.
4. The wise men knew there was a greater King on earth. That is why they brought Him gifts and worshiped Him. He is still on earth—in the hearts and lives of His citizens. So whenever we give, we do so as if giving to Him.
5. When you give to a king, you make a demand on what he possesses. Giving begets giving. When we give to the King of Heaven, we obligate Him to give in return. This is not a presumptuous statement but the expression of a principle He established. When we give, He gives; when we withhold, He withholds. THE ULTIMATE GIFT The ultimate and greatest gift the King wants from us is summed up in these words: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Giving activates royal obligation. Give Him your life and receive His life. …remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
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